ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. spring — the season
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mate — to breed
  8. lie — to recline
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. scale — size or range
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — a friend
  17. spring — a coil
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. scale — in music
  21. clip — for paper
  22. spring — of water
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com